Home: Aoi x Oodanna
by AmatureWriter1
Summary: This is my first story published here. Only five chapters for now, more to come later on. It is about Aoi and Oodanna after they returned from the southern lands.
1. Chapter 1

Ch 1

(A month after the ceremony in the Southern Lands, told from Aoi's perspective)

It's been a month since the rollercoaster ride the Orio-ya's called a ceremony ended. Ginji goes back and forth from Tenjin-Ya and the southern lands, so I went back to moonflower to keep my promise and pay off my grandfathers debt. During the time in the southern land The Meter and I have gotten closer. Usually he would annoy me with his marital remarks but I am starting to find them endearing.

"Aoi!" Squeals Chibi. "I didn't think we would ever get to come back home!" Chibi is sitting down happily munching on a bowl of cucumbers.

I smile at him and continue chopping up ingredients for the curry I told The Master I was making. It did seem like for a while we would not be coming home, but I did such a good job at Orio-ya that they agreed to let Ginji come back at his free will. But he still returns from time to time to help keep the south safe, it is his job after all being a guardian fox. I flash back to when I was in the Dragon Palace with The Master; I could feel his lips getting closer to mine. It was like time stood still, I didn't want to admit to my growing feelings to The Master but yet it was like he could read my mind. He sensed my hesitation and left a gentle kiss on my forehead. He placed his Kimono jacket on my shoulders and we left.

 _I don't even care about the debt owed anymore, I just want-_ my thoughts trailed off.

"Aoi, I brought back some ingredients for you!" Ginji announced while walking into moonflower interrupting my trail of thought.

I looked up, "Thank you Ginji, you didn't have to do that The Master already made a trade bargin with the Southern Land so we could get fresh ingredients for the moonflower." I smiled.

"Oh, but this is a special type of fish that I brought back just for you." He replied slyly.

I cocked an eyebrow in hesitation and accepted the gift."Thank you Ginji" I looked down at the fish he had wrapped up; It was small and round, with scarlet scales. Its eyes were almost popping out of its head!

"It's called Akoudai and it is found deep in the ocean. It is very delicious and will bring good luck to whomever eats it." He replied happily.

I shrugged my shoulders and put it away in the salt box to keep it fresh for later. "Well since you are here do you want to help me finish the curry?" I ask.

Ginji shakes his head in protest. " I would if I had the time but The Master has me going on an errand run in the eastern market. Next time though I promise."

"Ok, I will hold you to it!" I shout as he hurries out.

"Well chibi that leaves you to hel-" I look over and chibi is passed out from a food comma.

This isn't the first time I'm in a rush to finish a dish. I hurry up and get it all done, and just as I am almost done packing it up to keep warm on my walk over to the Inn; Oodanna shows up smiling.

"Hello my beautiful Ogre Bride. Let me take that from you, after all it is a husbands duty to assist his wife." He says as he grabs the hot pot from my hands. Normally I would protest but it was a lot of stuff to carry and I was tired.

"Master why are you not at the Inn? I was just on my way over to bring the curry for everyone." I ask as we start walking towards the inn.

He looks over at me and smiles "I was up on the mountain, thinking about our time in Orio-ya and when I was a fish peddler as a guise to be with you."

"You sure seemed to enjoy it" I retort fondly.

"Ah I did, I'm just glad I was there so nothing bad happened. I do not know what I would do without you here." He replied.

It was a short walk to the inn, everything was lit up beautifully. I sighed with relief, I was happy to be home with The Master and everyone a Tenjin-Ya. As we approach the Inn Oodanna opens the door and waits for me to enter first then follows behind me. We walk to the dinning hall and the place looks empty. I don't even see the Young Hostess lurking around. I follow Oodanna as he places the pot of curry on the table.

"Where is everyone?" I ask looking around as I place the plates on the table.

He looks around nonchalantly and meets my puzzled expression. "They will be here shortly, they had something they wanted to do to welcome you home."

I sit down on the Tatami mat, and start to make Oodanna a plate. He looks at it hungrily. It reminds me of his expression when we returned from Orio-Ya. He only ate enough to survive because he was so worried about me and how I was being treated. I serve him a plate.

"Itadakimasu" he smiles as he takes the plate of food and starts to eat.

An hour passes and nobody else shows up. I look at Oodanna and he sighs. "It was supposed to be a surprise but since everyone hasn't showed up I'm assuming they are going with plan B."

I look at him even more puzzled. He stands up and notices that I haven't ate.

"Aoi, why have you not eaten?" He says disapprovingly. "I can hear your stomach growl."

I look down and hold my stomach and hope it silences soon. "The cook can only eat their food when everyone else has eaten." I squeak.

Oodanna chuckles, "Thats my wife for you, thinking of everyone else before herself. You will make a great mother to our children someday."

I blush, _Why would he say something so embarrassing like that?_ I shake my head to try and get some composure back. I didn't even notice he was next to me holding a plate of curry.

"Here eat." He said while warming the curry with his Ogre fire. I nod my head and dig in. After I get done eating he takes our plates into the kitchen before I can stop him. He comes back in and holds out his hand. I grab it and stand up.

"Come follow me, I have something to show you." He says leading me outside. I follow, and we head towards the hot springs, the path light up by the moonlight. We arrive at the hot springs and see the water is purple.

"Wow!" I exclaim. "Its so beautiful!" The water is as purple as my eyes and looks so inviting. I look over at Oodanna to see that he has a towel and a clean pair of clothes for me.

"Normally the springs would be much too hot for you, but I cast a spell on them to cool so you could enjoy them and relax. You work so hard for us all here at Tinjin-Ya and you deserve a break." He says as he places the towel on a nearby rock.

"Thank you Master!" I start to slip my kimono off and stop. "No looking." I scold.

"I will leave and give you your privacy my love. I will be within earshot if you need me." He promises as he kisses my forehead.

Once he leaves I disrobe and get in. It feels so warm, I can feel it right down to my bones. It instantly relaxes me, and I sit there with my thoughts staring up at the moon.

 _I wonder if this is what everyone was gone doing, preparing this for me just so I could relax and unwind. The water feels like it has some healing properties in it, I may get a good nights sleep tonight._

I must have been in the water for about 30 mins and I hear Oodanna speak.

"Don't fall asleep in there my wife, I do not think you would want me to snatch you out while you are indecent." He calls to me.

"I won't!" I call back. I sit there a little longer my mind going back to the precious moments we shared in the southern land. I find myself smiling. _It may not be so bad being an Ogres Wife after all._

The next day.

I feel warm and safe, for the first time in a long time. I curl under the blankets and nuzzle my face into my pillow smiling. I lie there for a minute thinking about the wonderful night I had with Oodanna. After the hot spring we went back and stayed up late talking about what we missed about our time in the southern land. He said he missed the private mornings we had together and that he wants to help me prepare dishes more often.

"Good morning my love." Whispers Oodanna as he brushes my hair from my face.

I shoot up and look around. I was lying in bed next to Oodanna. I jumped out of bed still clutching my blankets.

"M-master?!" I squeak, "What are you doing in my bed?"

He sits up with his sly smirk and says, "Don't worry my love, nothing indecent took place. You got so tired staying up so late and fell asleep in my arms."

"Why did you stick around if I fell asleep? What would the others say if they saw?" I whispered, embarrassed by the thought of sleeping next to someone who I wasn't married to.

"I couldn't bring myself to be away from my beautiful wife, you looked so peaceful sleeping in my arms." He said lovingly.

I stand up and leave the room, we are at the Inn. _Thats right, after we returned he insisted that I stay here so someone could keep an eye on me so I wouldn't get taken again._ I look around at my surroundings and notice we are in Oodanna's room. It is as big as Moonflower, and is very lavish looking. Tatami mats cover the floor, and there is a great big window that overlooks all of Tenjin-Ya. I suddenly find myself looking out the window. I remember when I was first brought to Tenjin-Ya, I wouldn't be caught dead in The Masters quarters. But that was before he saved my life many times and I got to know him better. It feels like home, and thats the first time in a long time I felt this way.

"What are you smiling about my love?" Oodanna ponders as he makes his way towards me. He places his hands on my shoulders and rests his chin on my head.

I shake my head, "Nothing important." I turn around and look at him, his dark red eyes looked calm and sincere. His jet black hair tousled lightly around his horns. _Was this the man I am supposed to marry? Did grandpa do this because he knew I would be happy and well taken care of?_ He leaned in before I knew it his lips met mine and I wasn't repulsed or embarrassed. I kissed him back, my heart was pounding fast.

(Thanks for reading more to come, I just love Aoi x Oodanna ships and there aren't many around)


	2. Chapter 2

(I am sorry about the chapter not being uploaded properly thanks for the feedback. Ch 3 comping soon!)

Ch 2

My heart was pounding fast, I felt like I could faint at any moment. But I didn't, it was strange, I felt so weak but there was a strength swelling inside me that pushed me forward. It felt like the kiss lasted an eternity, but I didn't want it to stop.

"My dear Aoi" Oodanna said in an almost whisper as he pulled away.

I looked up at him, I could feel my face turn red. "Yes Master?" I reply in a whisper.

"I think its safe to say I have grown quite fond of you my blushing bride." He said while cupping my chin in his hand.

My eyes dart away for a moment and for the first time I am speechless; _there is so much I want to say to him in this moment. But how do I say it without making a fool of myself?_

He smiled lovingly at me, "I think you feel the same way"

All I could do was nod, still reeling from that kiss. He held me tight and we stared out the window watching the sunrise over Tinjin-Ya. _I love you Master, and I don't ever want to leave your side._

…

"Aoi where do you want me to place this dish?" Ginji asked, looking for some free room on the counter top. There were about a dozen different dishes waiting to be served. The whole royal family were going to show up at moonflower for a grand dinner. I'm not sure what for but Oodanna said it was important that we have a lot of food prepared.

"I think there is some free room on that table over there." I say while trying to get everything wrapped up to take over to the Inn. My stomach starts growling, _I should of ate something this morning._ I search through the cabinets to see if there is something to tide me over. Thats when I remember about the fish Ginji brought me, it was still in the salt box. I grabbed it and quickly cooked up some fried rice to mix with the fish.

"Mmmh that was tasty!" I exclaim. "Thanks for the fish Ginji it was great!"

Ginji looks over at me and smiles, "No problem, I'm glad you were able to eat it so soon before it went bad."

"Ok now that all the dishes are ready and prepared I was told to have you meet The Master at the Inn. He has something he wants to give you." Ginji said as he shooed me away.

"Ok ok I'm going, but make sure the food doesn't get cold and-"

"Do not worry your pretty little head over it missy' Hatori smirks as he drags me towards the inn. "Ginji has this covered."

I look back at moonflower and see Ginji waving at me smiling. I look at Hatori and notice he isn't wearing his usual garb, he is wearing a red kimono with the white puff balls on the lining of the front. His wings are put away, and his hair is combed neat.

Everyone seems to be worried about the Royal Family showing up, but no one went this far out of their way to get dressed up for it when I made dinner for them the last time. Seems strange.

We make it to the Inn, and Oodanna is waiting looking off in the distance, pondering something. He even dressed up, it must be important.

"Hello Master, there was something you needed from me?" I say, my voice weak. He looked so handsome, I don't know what has come over me.

"Aoi, there you are my lovely Ogre Bride!" He exclaimed happily. "I have something for you upstairs come with me." He said while taking my hand and leading me upstairs.

"It looks like we are going to be busy Master, I will be able to pay off my grandfathers debt to you possibly by the end of the night if all fairs well." I say as we turn a corner.

"Hmmm yes it would seem so." He says, I sensed a hint of sadness in his voice. "Does that mean you will leave Tinjin-Ya after tonight?"

I shake my head, "No this is my home, its where I've made so many new friends. I don't want to leave."

"That makes me so happy Aoi." Oodanna says grinning.

We arrive in a room, with a dressing curtain set up. I see a beautiful Kimono hanging from the wall. It is a light purple and has Tenjin-Ya's embellishments on it. The Kimono is long, and looks like it would require some assistance to put on.

"Its beautiful!" I gasp. I can't believe I am to wear something this gorgeous. I look over at Oodanna who looks like he wants to say something but won't or can't?

"Master? Is something wrong?" I ask staring into his amber red eyes.

He grabs me and brings me close, then kisses me on the forehead. "Aoi, my sweet Aoi." He breaths into my hair. "I want to make you mine tonight, Aoi I will forgive all debt your grandfather made, if you stay here with me and be my Bride." He says as he holds me tighter. "Please." He begs.

I feel tears streaming down my face, I wipe them off and look at Oodanna. "I wouldn't want anything less Master." I say as I reach up to kiss him. His lips reach mine and we share a heated passionate moment.

"Aoi, please call me by my name, now that you are to be my wife I only want my name to grace your beautiful lips. He said as he kissed my cheek.

I nodded, and stepped back. He had a ring in his hand, it had a small thin band that was encrusted with beautiful jewels, and a red ruby flower was on top. It reminded me of the hair pin he gave me when I first arrived in the Hidden Realm. He placed it in my hand, and caressed my face. I placed it on my hand, and when I did the Ogre Fire in my pendent light up.

"Now my love you may want to get dressed for our party you so graciously prepared for everyone." He smiled and pointed to the kimono hanging up.


	3. Chapter 3

Ch 3

I pulled off my kimono, and felt it slide off me and hit the floor. I reached up and grabbed the beautiful purple kimono and start to put it on when the three Ayakashi who "tortured" me appear.

"Let us help you my dear" beamed the plump one.

The tall Ayakashi woman took the kimono and started to place the juban on me, bringing it over my shoulders and letting it fall naturally before tying it up. She then put the kimono on me, wrapping me up in it from the right and making sure the seams lined up from the back. Once it overlapped the left side the short Ayakashi made sure it was pulled up so my ankles were showing. Then they tied the excess material up with a kochi him belt, and covered that belt with a dateline belt. Once the belts were secure they placed the obi makura on top. It was a deep purple with a silver embellishment, that accented the purple cherry blossoms on the bottom of the kimono.

"You look wonderful!" They all chimed.

I looked in a mirror and took a look at myself. It was like out of a fairytale. The purple was very light it was almost white, while the dark purple cherry blossoms stood out with the Obi. The silver accents on the Obi matched the silver Tenjin-Ya emblem. I smiled. _He does have great taste_.

I thanked the women for helping me, and went downstairs to join the party. _I wonder what everyone will say. No one knows of us getting closer except maybe Ginji._ I make it outside and see all of our friends and the Royal Family have made it. People from Orio-ya have come too.

"Aoi!" Suzuran pipes up waving me over to her and Akatsuki. I look over and she is grinning ear to ear.

"Long time no see!" I say happily. She grabs me and gives me a hug.

"I've missed you little sister! I came back to visit and found out you were at Orio-Ya. But I am glad you are back now!" She steps back and holds my hands. Thats when she eyes the ring Oodanna gave me. She smirks, "Finally you are admitting to everyone your real feelings towards the Master. Shirou knew you two would get along smoothly, and here we are." She beams. Akatsuki looks over at her a sighs deeply, "She was always the Masters Bride Suzuran, its about time she came to realize it."

I look at him a bit puzzled, _did everyone see this coming? Was I blindsided all along?_ I start to think panicking.

"Mistress Aoi, don't listen to him, he's being sour. Welcome to your engagement party!" Sasuke says with open arms. A breeze flows through the yard.

"Thanks Sasuke" I breathe. I turn to look at everyone, they are all happy and enjoying all of the food I prepared. I felt my heart swell up and fill with joy. _Thank you Grandpa, everyone thought you were scum and you did everything in your power to make sure I was ok after you left._

Oodanna makes his way over to me, "Aoi you look breathtaking." He says looking me up and down. He takes my hand and we walk over to the Royal Family.

Ritsuko is wearing her veil, but this time it is a golden color. She is wearing a pale blue kimono and her husband is matching with a darker shade of blues and golds on his kimono.

"Aoi, you look gorgeous!" Ritsuko beams coming towards me and giving me a hug.

"Thank you Lady Ritsuko." I say blushing.

She leans in and whispers in my ear, "I knew you two were destined from the moment I met you."

I feel Oodanna's hand at the small of my back, he leans in next to me. "I'm just glad she said yes finally. I can't believe she wants to be with me for eternity." He says beaming at me.

His amber red eyes pierced my heart and made me feel warm and safe. I rested my head on his shoulder, I felt tired, almost drained. Oodanna noticed and instructed me to take a seat. "You haven't eaten have you?" He scolded. _But I have, I ate that fish…_ I thought to myself as I shook my head in disagreement with Oodanna. "No I ate."

"How are you feeling?" He asked concerned.

"Drained…like all of my spiritual powers are being drained from my very core." I whispered. I started to feel cold. _Why was this happening? How?_ Then it hit me.

"G-ginji.."I replied weakly. "He brought me a fish from the southern lands, he said it was for good luck."

"What did it look like?" Oodanna growled, clearly upset with Ginji.

"Don't, he didn't mean to…at least I think he didn't. Ginji is my friend!" I say staring Oodanna in the eyes.

"What. Did. It. Look. Like." He said through clenched teeth.

"It was a small scarlet colored fish, its eyes were bulging out of its head." I coughed. I could feel my strength depleting.

Oodanna grabbed a nearby bowl and handed it to me. "Eat. I have to talk to someone." He scowled as he walked away.

Oryou came over and helped me eat the soup. "You shouldn't of trusted that fox." She scowled. "Feeding you that type of fish was not wise. The Master could banish him from Tenjin-Ya." She mumbled as I slurped down another spoonful of soup.

"But it was a harmless fish, its quite popular in the Apparent Realm. It isn't poisonous." I retort.

She sighs, "It is here, at least for humans. It is a fifty fifty chance though. There is a chance of it giving you a great gift, or it could poison and kill you."

I look down at my hands, tears start to stream down my face and drop onto my palms. _But Ginji, why did you do this? I thought you were my friend._ "Why?" I cry.

…

*Oodanna's POV*

I rush over the moonflower to find the remains of the fish Aoi ate. Upon arriving, I see Ginji, I feel my Ogre Flame grow hot. I march into the building.

"Ginji." I growl through gritted teeth. Ginji is sitting at the table smiling with himself.

"Yes Master?" He smirks as he looks at me.

"You poisoned Aoi!" I say clenching my fists. I get closer to where he is sitting, he gets spooked and goes into his chibi fox form.

"What? Poisoned her? I only gave her the fish for good luck-"

I grab him and pin him to the wall by his throat. "I gave you food, I gave you shelter when you left Orio-Ya and this is how you repay me?!" I yell.

Ginji smirks as he grabs my hand and removes it with little trouble from his throat.

"If I can't have her….no one can" he laughs maniacally as he pushes me away, and runs off.

"Get back here!" I shout as he runs towards the mountains. He disappears and I go back into Moonflower. _Finding out what that fish was will better help me get an antidote for Aoi._ I rummage through the garbage and find the remains. It was what I feared.

"Not much we can do now, but to wait it out." I say as I slam my clinched fist on the counter, creating a crater in the wood. _That damn fox, my precious Aoi better survive this. If not this means war._

I emerge from moonflower and see Byakuya walking towards me.

"What is the commotion Master?" He says confused.

"Ginji…he poisoned Aoi. We need to get her inside, to rest. She needs to eat as much food as she can handle. It will aid her on her recovery. Lets hope she can pull through this." I sigh. _Aoi, I know you can withstand this, your strong and resilient._

…..

*Aoi's POV*

Oodanna is making his way back from moonflower, and stops to check on me. He places the back of his hand on my forehead and gives me a light kiss.

"I'm sorry everyone but we will have to continue this party at another time, Aoi has come down with a sudden illness and needs to rest." He addresses towards our friends.

I look at him, his normal confident self is replaced with a solemn expression I have never seen on him before. He scoops me up in his arms and walks toward the Inn. I rest my head on his chest.

"I'm sorry Aoi, this never should of happened." I hear him whisper, then something catches the sunlight. A single tear has run down his cheek. I reach up and wipe it away, but before I can he grabs my hand and holds it against his cheek.

We enter his room again, and this time Sasuke was inside waiting by the door.

"How could he do this?" I whimper. My heart felt like it was breaking, my dear friend did this to hurt me, but why.

Oodanna grabs my chin and kisses me, my tears start streaming down my face and drip onto his chest.

"We will get through this my love" he says as he puts his forehead against mine.

*Thank you for waiting for the new Chapter, I've had a lot of stuff come up that pulled me away from writing but happy to be getting back to it*


	4. Chapter 4

Ch 4

(Mature content NSFW 18+ only)

"Aoi…" Oodanna's voice trails off.

I reach my hand to gently stroke his pale beautiful face. His crimson eyes filled with sadness and hopelessness. My ring glistened against the soft light in the room, which caught his eye. In that moment it seemed like he was able to compose himself and held my hand against his cheek. His cheek was warm, and soft.

"Oodanna, we can't abandon our guests." My voice croaks.

He looks at me and shakes his head, "You are not well, I will not have my wife put her health before others. You need to rest and eat, it is the only thing that will give you a fighting chance of beating this."

"But-" I retort.

"I don't want to hear it Aoi, what Ginji did…" He trails off for only a moment looking away while clenching his fist. "What he did to you was an act of war and shows his true character. I should of never allowed him back at Tenjin-Ya."

"But he's my friend." I mutter while I struggle to sit up and look at Oodanna.

"No friend would do this!" He growls, "He is not your friend, I don't think he was anyones friend to say the least."

"But he saved me when I was a child…he's the reason I am alive-"

"And he is also the reason you are dying!" He cries. "My dear Ogre Bride, please eat and rest. I will not leave your side." He promises as he attempts to lie me down.

"I don't want to lie down." I grumble.

"Fine, do as you wish, but you are going to eat something." He says as he searches for some food.

He hands me a bowl of Okayu (Rice Porridge), and a cup of hot green tea.

"Do you know how long it will take to get better?" I ask while shoveling food in my mouth. _I'm more famished than I imagined._

He shakes his head, "It could take weeks or even months."

I stare at my bowl, stirring the food around. _Well I will just have to keep my strength up, and rest like he says. I know I can pull through. But why would Ginji do this?_

"Oodanna?"

"Yes?" He replies puzzled.

"Do you know why he did this to me? You must of talked to him, what did he say?" I demand staring him in the eyes. They burned bright red, but still looked soft somehow.

He sighs heavily. "If I tell you will you do what I ask until you are better? It is a husbands duties to take care of his wife."

I nod.

"He told me when I was in Moonflower, that if He could not have you, that no one deserved to have you." He said while folding his arms in his kimono sleeves.

"What did you suppose he meant by that?" I inquired.

He shrugs his shoulders, "I have no idea, but he has some strong feelings for you. I'm not sure if they are romantic or paternal."

I finish my bowl of food and he scoops a second helping without asking me. "You need to keep your strength up." He replies.

I polish off my second helping and start to drink my tea. I lookout Oodanna, he is gazing out the huge window, a pained look is stricken across his face. I scoot closer to him and lay my head in his lap. He looks down and places his hand on my cheek, softly stroking it and continues to look outside.

"Oodanna?" I ask in almost a whisper.

"Hmmm?" He murmurs still gazing outside.

"If I don't have much longer I don't want to wait to be your wife. I want to get married as soon as we can." I say while blushing. _I can't believe I said that, but it is what I truly want. And I think he wants it as well, at least I hope so._

He grasps my chin between his thumb and forefinger, pulling my face towards his. I lean in, and our lips meet. I can feel my heart beating fast. His hand has moved to my cheek and we deepen our kiss. I sit up and place my hands on his shoulders.

"Aoi" He whispers and he pulls away. "You make me the happiest an Ogre could ever be. But you are too ill for a ceremony. You were poisoned, and we need to get your strength up before doing anything period."

I nod my head, _He's right_ I tell myself.

"Get some rest my love, I will stay here the whole time." He says as I lay back down on his lap. He grabs a blanket and places it on me, and kisses my forehead.

I grasp his hand, so I know for sure he stays next to me. I don't need him going off in a rage and hurting Ginji. I yawn and slowly lose consciousness. The last thing I see is Oodanna smiling sweetly at me stroking my hair.

CRACK! BOOM!

I jump up from a dead sleep, and find Oodanna sitting up next to me, we were laying together in his bed. It was a huge futon, that took up a large portion of the floor. Oodanna had his hands on my shoulders ready to pull me away from whatever it was that was making that noise.

CRACK! CRACK!

I flinch and bury my head into Oodanna's chest grasping his Kimono. He holds me close, "It's ok, Aoi I'm here. I won't let anything or anyone get to you."

Its thundering and lightening out side. The sky is dark, the room is light by lanterns lit with Ogre flame. _He really hasn't left my side, Im glad._

"Bwuhahahaha"

"Show yourself!" Oodanna demands of the mysterious voice.

"How sweet an Ogre protecting his meek human wife….how utterly pathetic." Taunts a familiar voice.

"Raiju" Oodanna mutters, "what makes you think you can waltz in here unannounced?" He stands up in front of me keeping an arm reaching towards me.

"I've just come here for some fun, it looks like that human is sick…what will you do Ogre God?" His laughter echoing through the room.

I hear soft footsteps emerge behind me, my hand clenches Oodanna's garments. _Raiju is coming to eat me, Oodanna…_ I look up at him, in one swift solid movement he whisks me up and has me in his arms ready to run at any moment. He can't fight with me in the way.

I see white hair gleam in the moonlight, and a glimmer of the moonlight reflecting off of a monocle.

"Raiju, have you not learned that Aoi belongs to the master, and you interfering will result in a harsh and swift punishment." Byakuya announces.

"I'm not scared of you!" Raiju exclaims.

"If you really weren't you would be here in person" Byakuya sighs. "Don't make me come find you. Just leave and I could forget you were here." He says while adjusting his monocle.

Oodanna grasps me tighter. "What is it?" I ask him.

He shakes his head, "Nothing my dear, I'm sorry."

All of a sudden the storm subsides, and the rooms tension is lifted.

"Master, I believe it was Raiju who poisoned Aoi." Byakuya says. " I tracked down Ginji who happened to be at Orio-ya helping Ranmaru rebuild a shrine in the southern lands."

"I knew Ginji couldn't of done it." I sighed relived.

Oodanna nodded. "Have you created an antidote yet?"

"No, not yet. But we have one that will slow down the effects of the poison." He says reaching into his kimono. Out emerged a small vile about the size of a thimble.

"It will make you feel a little better, but we still have no idea which outcome you have yet to face. Good luck or the latter…" He trails off and hands the vile to Oodanna. "Mix it with food, or you will feel worse than you do now." He says as he leaves the room.

"Thank you Byakuya" I say happily as I open the vile.

Oodanna hands me some miso soup, it smells wonderful. I pour the contents of the vile into the bowl.

"When did you get this?" I ask puzzled, as I slurp down a spoonful.

"About thirty minutes before you were woken up, I just warmed it up with my Ogre Fire" He smiles at me and shows me a small Ogre flame on the tip of his finger.

 _Its so good! I can't believe I am so hungry. It must be my body needing all the spiritual power from the food._

"Do you want some more my love?"

I shake my head, "No I'm fine, I'm feeling a lot better."

He kisses my forehead. "I'm glad."

"Since I am feeling better are you going to take me up on what I said earlier?"

"Lets see how your feeling in the morning, If you are feeling great then I will do whatever my Bride wants." He chuckles.

We lie back down and he holds me in his arms as I drift off to sleep.

"Good morning my love" Oodanna greets me. His amber eyes glowing in the sunlight.

I sit up and rub my eyes. "How long was I asleep?" I yawn.

"About 4 days my lovely ogre bride." He smiles warmly at me.

"What?!" I gasp, shooting straight up. "I have to get to moonflower and take care of my customers!"

Suddenly Oodanna grabs my wrist and pulls me down onto his lap, and caresses my face. "Shhh, Moonflower is fine, how are you feeling my dear?"

"F..fine I guess" I blush, my heart is pounding in my chest.

He leans his face in next to mine, "Good, now that you are better we can have a small ceremony with our friends and family." He says as he kisses my cheek.

"Oodanna?" I pip up.

"Yes?"

"I don't want a ceremony, everyone already knows that we are to be married, why can't we just sign a paper and tell everyone later?"

He looks at me puzzled, "If that is what my wife wants"

"I just want you" I say as I lean forward on him, pushing him to the ground kissing him passionately.

His arms wrap around me, we turn, now he's on top of me. Holding my wrists to the floor, he moves from my lips to the nape of my neck. I let out a small moan. _Is this really happening?_ I pull his kimono off one shoulder, and expose his beautiful pale skin.

"Aoi" he breaths.

I can sense he is holding back, so I slid off my kimono exposing my undergarments from the waste up. I can feel his eyes looking me up and down.

"Do not tempt me like that my dear." He whispers in my ear.

"It is a wife duty to give herself to her husband, and that is what I am doing." I say sheepishly.

He smirks, and lets his kimono slide off exposing his muscular chest. It looked like it was chiseled out of white porcelain. I reached up to touch his chest, it was warm and smooth.

Our lips meet again and I place his hand on my exposed breast, I let out a quiet moan as he gently squeezes it. The room feels warm, I open my eyes to see we are enveloped in his green Ogre Fire. Oddly it doesn't hurt.

"Aoi, are you sure this is what you want?" He asks pulling back for a moment.

I nod my head, and he once again kisses me on the neck, and works his way slowly down to between my breasts. His lips find my nipple and he starts to gently suck on it while flicking his tongue around the tip. I moan louder this time. _My body feels so hot, is this the ogre fire or something else?_

My hands run up and down his chest, feeling every muscle. They trail down to his waistline, and I can feel his erection through his pants. He rips my kimono off of me the rest of the way exposing my panties. His hand starts to caress my thigh and then works its way to my inner thigh. I moan again. _Is this what sex feels like? Its amazing!_ He starts kissing my neck again, and moves my panties to the side. I'm fully exposed and for some reason I am not embarrassed. He starts to rub my clitoris, I can feel myself squirm with pleasure underneath him.

"Are you ready my love," He breaths softly.

"Yes" I moan.

"On one condition…." He smirks.

"What is it?" I question, not wanting this to stop.

"You must call me by my proper title, you must call me your Husband"

I nod, "Please my dear Husband, I want to give all of me to you." I moan.

He slips a finger inside me, wriggling it around. _Mmmh yes! Amazing!_ I feel something go inside me that isn't his finger, its way bigger.

"Aoi" he breaths while inserting himself deeper into me. I moan in pleasure. I reach up to his face and kiss him deeply while he thrusts away. Im lost in sheer pleasure and happiness. _Yes my love, please keep going. I want you to feel good, use me as you wish._ I let out a loud moan, gripping the blankets tightly.

"Ooda…I…I'm..going to burst! Please I don't know how much more I can take!" I practically scream in pleasure.

He thrusts faster and faster, I can feel him throbbing inside. My body is getting hotter. He kisses me deeply, and he is thrusting deeper and faster.

"Aoi!" He grunts. I moan, as he releases inside of me, it feels warm as it fills my womb.

He lays down next to me and we embrace, our bodies shaking from the rush. I kiss his forehead and stroke his hair.

"I love you." I whisper.

"I love you too and always will my dear wife" he says his eyes closed smiling at me.

We must of laid there for at least an hour or so, because my stomach was growling. I smile, "Well Husband should I go make us some food?"

He wraps himself around me, "Curry sounds divine, would you like some help?"

I nod, "It would be nice to have a hand."

We get dressed, and head out towards the moonflower, holding hands the whole way there.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch 5

A cool breeze hits my face as I open the door, I see auburn red and orange leaves fall from the trees above and gracefully dance down to the forest floor. Its been several months since I was poisoned by Raiju, some days I will randomly get ill but the medicine I took is slowing down the effects. I stare out at the beautiful scenery and feel a familiar embrace.

"Good morning my love" Oodanna breathes into my ear.

I blush and drift deeper into his embrace, he has his arms wrapped around me from behind while we both look outside. He is wearing his black and gold kimono with the fur lining. He kisses the top of my head before pulling me back inside.

"I've got something to show you" he says as he pulls me further into the building.

During the past few months we have decided it would be best to live in the small house on the mountain. After all it was Oodanna's favorite place to sit in the summer and we were always up here bathing or enjoying "each others company" in different parts of the home.

"Hey! Wait…" I retort as my belly grumbles.

"It will only take a moment and I know how much you said you've missed this from the apparent realm." He retorts smirking as he leads me to the back.

He leads me to a door and opens it, I walk in and a soft light fills the room. I'm stunned speechless, It is a modern Japanese bathroom. The tile is porcelain white, I look up and there is a beautiful skylight that covers the whole ceiling. No wonder the fluorescent lighting is so low, the natural lighting in the day against the white makes it look bright and open.

"Wow!" I exclaim. "But how?"

Oodanna shrugged, "I went to the apparent realm hired some workers and Ginji took them back after they were done." He is leaning against the wall smiling.

"Not that I hated the hot spring but it will be nice to have running water again." I rejoice happily. "Thank you" I say as I lean in to kiss him softly.

He grabs my wrist and pulls me in closer, I can feel my heart pounding in my ears. He cradles my face in his hand and deepens the kiss. I feel his free hand rubbing my outer thigh. I start to breath heavy, as excitement builds. _I guess he wants to break in this room as well, fine by me._

His kimono slides off his shoulders and exposes his chest. Suddenly mine is on the floor alongside his. He grabs me by the waist and tosses me on the ledge of the sink. I let out a small yelp in excitement.

"Your in trouble now, wife of the Ogre God." He laughs as he grasps my breasts.

…..

A few hours later.

"Oodanna?" I pipe up. We are in the middle of eating lunch, Rice balls with red bean paste and green tea.

"Hmmm" he inquires while chewing his food.

"What happens at a traditional wedding ceremony here in the Hidden Realm?"

He looks up for a moment thinking, then swallows his food and invites me to sit closer.

"Normally an Ayakashi wedding is the same in the Apparent Realm, you have a ceremony in front of family and friends and sign a document and ta-da!" He says waving his arms in the air.

I shake my head in disagreement," That sounds too simple, tell me the truth. You are the one who wants this unimportant document-"

"It is not unimportant Aoi." He says sternly as he cuts me off. "It is a big deal here in the Hidden Realm, unlike where humans in the Apparent Realm shrug it off. It is a pact so to say." He stops puzzled on how to explain the rest of his sentence. "For example once we sign the document, and another Ayakashi would want to try and take you from me…romantically…they would be banished to the Eternal Realm."

"So you want to guarantee that no one will try and steal me away from you?" I ask puzzled.

"Yes and no, its complicated and I will be able to tell you more about it later." He starts to get up.

"Wait where are you going? I'm coming with." I jump up and collect our plates and bring them to the kitchen to clean.

Oodanna puts on his outer layer of his kimono the fur blowing in the breeze as he opens the door. He shakes his head, "No this is no place for you to go, not at least until after the wedding."

"When will you be back?" I ask my voice cracking. This isn't like him to go and not tell me where he is going.

He stops, walks over to me and pulls a small version of the message board out of his kimono. "I will have this on me so if there is anything you need or a concern you have you can get ahold of me through yours." He says as he kisses my forehead. "I need you to look after everyone here at Tenjin-Ya. You will stay at the Inn while I am gone, no arguing with me my love."

"Please be careful." I beg as he walks out the door.

….

3 Days later.

"Have you heard from the Master Aoi?" Ginji asks, worry in his voice.

I shake my head, and look off into the distance. _He never answered my message, something is wrong I can feel it._ I walk off to the main room in the Inn to look for my Ogre Fire necklace. Maybe Ai can help me find Oodanna.

I make it to the room and find the locket in an empty drawer, the fire has died out. _How odd._ I hear someone come in, it's Ginji. HIs face is solemn and he is very hesitant.

"Aoi, we need to talk." He says grabbing my hand and leading me to the table at the center of the room.

"Whats going on? Why is the Fire out in the locket?" I say trying to hide the panic in my voice.

"I'm not sure how to say this but I'm going to be frank with you." Ginji takes a deep breath before continuing. "Tenjin-Ya is going bankrupt, we are hemorrhaging customers."

"Its normal to lose some customers while Oodanna is away on business, some Ayakashi like to have a few drinks with him and get the chance to say they shared entertainment with The Master of Tenjin-Ya." I retort.

"No Aoi, this…this is different." Ginji pauses looks at me and then his fidgeting hands. "Aoi…The Master has been arrested."

"Why? On what charges? He's done nothing wrong!" I exclaim.

Ginji fidgets a bit more, "Well actually he has, he broke a very old law." He looks at me before continuing. "When he brought you here he was supposed to marry you right there that was the deal with the elder Ayakashi he made to get you here. But as you know that didn't happen."

"I'm confused. Why imprison him? I was the one who demanded to pay off my grandfathers debt by working at Moonflower."

"He went to Yoto to keep you out of this, and explain to them that a date was set for the ceremony. They were not listening and locked him up. He will be there until he dies. Now Tenjin-Ya has a bad reputation, the Master is a prisoner and no one wants to associate that with an Inn."

"Ginji look after Tenjin-Ya, I'm going to Yoto to get my Husband back." I say while I stand and gather some supplies for my trip.

"I'll go with you" he pipes up.

I shake my head. "Here take this," I hand him my message board. "I will send a message if I need help. I need you to keep Tenjin-Ya running and the current customers happy. I have a few days journey ahead of me, will you ready the ship?" I ask as I grab more items.

Ginji keeps informing me about Yoto and who to watch out for on my way to the ship. He hands me a Golden Kimono with the opposite color scheme of Oodanna's.

"The Masters wife should be in unison to her husbands attire when attending such events like this."

"Thank you Ginji"

"Are you sure I can't go with?" He asks.

"Yes, I'm sure. Keep them safe from harm Ginji, this is an order from the Masters Wife." I smirk as I board the ship.

"To Yoto please" I instruct the captain. _I'm coming Oodanna, hold on._

…


	6. Chapter 6

Ch 6

I finally arrived at Yoto after a days trip. It is a dark and rainy night, the lanterns lighting the street were dim and the shops were closed up for the night. Yoto looked like a grand palace but it was heavily armed with guards and guard towers at every corner. When the ship docked a swarm of guards surrounded the descending stairway. They had helmets on so I couldn't see their face. Their armor reminded me of Samurai guards from the feudal era.

"State your business human from Tenjin-Ya." One demands pointing his sword at me.

"I am here to collect the Master of Tenjin-Ya" I say calmly looking directly at the guard.

The first guard looks over at another and nod. "Come with us." They grab me by the arm one on each side and lead me into the city. Walking by the shops and markets I hear people in the shadows whispering amongst themselves. They all seemed shocked and surprised. One of the guards behind me came up and whispered in my ear.

"You shouldn't of come here. He wont like that your here…he may devour you over this. After all his employees do not leave under any circumstances while he is away." He sounded scared.

"The Master would of wanted me to come, after all-" Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my side. One of the guards forcibly leading me jabbed me with the handle of his sword.

"Quiet! we are here." The other mutters as we approach the Palace.

It was a grand, green and gold Palace, that seemed to stretch for miles. Guards were. strolling the premises. _Why are there so many guards here? Is it because Oodanna is inside and they don't want him to escape?_

I was lead down a long corridor. One of the guards opened a door and shoved me inside. I fell to my hands and knees on the Tatami mat beneath me.

"Ow" I mumbled as I sat up and rubbed my sore knees.

"Stay here, the Grand Council will be here shortly." The guard barks as he storms out of the room.

The room looks similar to the room at Tenjin-Ya where we entertain guests. There is a huge oval shaped table with 6 pillow seats around one side. The room has lanterns lighting it, and I smell an incense burning.

 _What is going on here?_ I hear footsteps and a door opens behind the table. 6 figures appear all wearing cloaks and masks. They make their way to the table and sit down.

"Now that we are all here we shall get down to business." The tallest one announced.

"But Council we are still missing one more person." A short quiet voice squeaked.

The tallest one nodded, "Ah you are right, very well bring him in. Guards!"

I hear a rumble outside the room and then a groan. It sounded like Oodanna. The door slammed open and four guards dragged Oodanna's weakened body to the far wall of the room between the council and myself. His hair looked disheveled, his nails trimmed short, his horns grew larger. They almost looked like antlers on him. His kimono was ripped and tattered and he was covered in bruises.

"Oodanna" I whimper, "What happened?" Tears start swelling and I can feel them streaming down my cheeks.

Oodanna's face lifts up and looks at me calmly, "Hello my Ogre Bride, How I've missed your beautiful face." And then he collapses on the floor. A guard comes by and props him up against the wall, then proceeds to kick him in the stomach. Oodanna grunts in pain and lets out a cough. "No sleeping traitor." The guard grumbles.

"Now we are all here" The tallest council member pipes up excitedly.

"I've come to bring The Master of Tenjin-Ya back with me." I state while standing up. I was terrified but I can't let the lesser Ayakoshi sense that, it would make Oodanna look bad.

A short round one chuckles, "We know why you are here, we are simply going to explain what kind of trouble you have brought upon The Master and if and how it can be fixed."

"What?" I say puzzled.

"We are just going to cut straight to the point." Said a fourth council member with a booming voice.

"Oodanna is in a great deal of trouble, he brought you here to be his wife or if you refused he would have to eat you. Neither have happened, and it has almost been a year since your arrival." The Tallest council member said cooly.

"But thats because at that time my grandfather used me as collateral for his debt he had with The Master, we agreed that I would work at Moonflower to pay it off and he would free me if I wanted to go."

The council members nodded. "He has broken Ayakoshi law…it is an old law that must be kept up on or the humans will know we exist and hunt us down."

I shook my head confused, "I wouldn't tell anyone about the Hidden Realm, nobody in the Apparent Realm would believe me if I did anyway." I look at my hands, my ring glistened on the flickering light coming from the lanterns. "This is my home, I belong here with The Master."

The council murmur to themselves. "But you have not gotten married, this is something very important when an Ayakoshi has a human in the Hidden Realm. If they do not the offending Ayakoshi will be imprisoned and the human eaten. It is an insult to flaunt a human such as yourself to other Ayakoshi and not claim them."

"He wanted to but I…I didn't think a piece of paper mattered too much. At least thats how it is in the Apparent Realm."

"This is why it is you'r fault he is in this situation." The small council member chirped.

"They still have one more day left, council." The one with the booming voice announced to the others.

"One day for what? A wedding? Pssh, theres no way they can have that, it would take a day to get their guests and witnesses here and it would be too late." The tallest scoffed.

"They could have a Traditional Ayakoshi Ceremony council." The booming voice added.

"Hmmmm that could work, he could be healed enough in that time to preform the ceremony." the tallest one pondered.

"No." Oodanna whispered.

The council turned to him in shock. "This is the only way to save both of you, and you are saying no?"

"I can't do that to Aoi." He breaths.

I look over at him, he is looking directly at the council, his ogre flame rising up around him. He looks as he is about to fight his way out of this.

"Yes, we will do this ceremony." I say standing up, "When do we get started?"

Oodanna looks at me with fear in his eyes, "Aoi no"

I shake my head, "If it will make everything better and we can return home I will do this ceremony, after all you did want the legal paperwork. This saves us some time" I smile at him.

"Very well, meeting adjourned. Get everything ready for the Traditional Ayakoshi ceremony." The tallest one announces. "See you shortly my dear."

Everyone leaves, so Oodanna and I are the only two in the room. He looks at me shaking his head. "Do you remember what I said about old Ayakashi weddings?" He whispered.

"But it was the only way…and besides we already know each other intimately so I won't be scared or run away." I say proudly looking into his crimson eyes.

He shakes his head, "It may not be me at the ceremony my love, I may not act myself…I won't be able to hold back. You may get hurt."

"It will be fine, I'm tough. I've got to to be the wife of an Ogre God." I smile reassuringly at him.

He reaches up and softly caresses my face. "I know" He lifts my chin and kisses me. I lean into him kissing him passionately. He pulls away. His eyes filled with concern. "If I don't seem like myself later, please bring me back to you. Reach through to me my love, it will not be easy."

The door opens and the guards help Oodanna up and take him out of the room.

"Where are you taking him?" I ask

"To fix him up before the big day, we can't have the traitor look like a mess on a special occasion such as this." The guard chuckles.

Another door opens and three women come in with bath water, the clothes I brought with me, food and make up.

"We are here to help you clean up for the night and get you ready for tomorrow evening." One responds. I nod my head. _Lets get this done._

….

Warning the following is for Mature 18+ NSFW

The next evening.

I am wearing the kimono that Ginji gave me before I left, my hair is pinned up with the flower hair pin Oodanna gave me when I first arrived in the Hidden Realm. I look down at my hand and twist and turn my ring that matches the hair pin. The room is only lit with one lantern, a futon is placed in the middle of the room. On the other side of the futon is a paper wall that would normally be used for getting dressed so no one would see you changing. The door opens slowly and Oodanna walks in calmly smiling at me. He looks like his normal self. He is wearing his black and gold kimono with the fur lining.

"Ah Ginji gave that to you, it was a wedding gift but he must of sensed that you would need it. Sly fox always thinking ahead." He smiles at me. "You look beautiful."

He reaches to touch my face but a door behind us slams open and the six figures of the council appear and he retracts his hand. The council sit down behind the paper wall, one stands up with two cups of tea. They pass it to us.

"As part of the ceremony you must state your name and that you agree to the ceremony whole heartedly." they motion to the tea, "and then you must drink the tea. Oodanna will know what to do next."

"I am Aoi Tsubaki and I whole heartedly agree to this ceremony." I then start to sip my tea.

Oodanna looks down at his tea and sighs, "This isn't how I wanted to marry you Aoi, but it seems we are out of options."

"I am Oodanna the Ogre God and Master of Tenjin-Ya and I whole heartedly agree to this ceremony." He pauses and reluctantly drinks his tea.

"The Ceremony has begun, please mark it in the records." A council member announces.

I sit there looking at Oodanna, he is still, but I feel the warmth from his ogre fire coming off of him, he looks at me with a fire in his eye. Suddenly he tears my kimono off of me, ripping it to pieces. "Oodanna!" I shriek. He grasps my face between his hands and kisses me deeply. _There's my husband._ He grabs me and throws me onto the futon. He removes his kimono exposing his hard throbbing penis. _Its bigger than before…could the tea he drank be making him act like this?_ He squeezes my breasts and twirls my nipples between his fingers. I can feel his hot member pulsating against my thigh. He starts to suck on my nipples flicking them with his tongue. I let out a moan. He reaches down with his free hand and inserts his fingers into me. _Mmmmh no not in front of everyone! But it feels so good and I don't want to fight it._ He starts going faster and faster until I cum. He grabs his penis and drills it hard into me. He keeps getting rougher with each thrust.

'No please, you'll tear me apart." I moan.

He looks at me with the same fire in his eyes and smirks menacingly. "Shhh, just stay silent."

I feel myself squirming underneath him, I wan't more. He picks me up by my hips and places me in his lap. He grabs my thighs, his nails dig into me I can feel the warm trickle of my blood running down. _Why do I like this sensation? I feel hot but needing more._ He helps me keep the pace with his hips grinding against mine. _I don't know how much longer I can keep this up._

I hear the council members chuckle. "Have fun you two, this will only last about a day" one says as a few get up and leave.

"What?" I shriek puzzled. "What was in that tea?" I demand.

"Just something to help keep your stamina going, so he doesn't kill you." They say nonchalantly waving me away as they leave.

Then I feel it, I can't hold back as he makes me cum. _We can get through this Oodanna, I know we can._

"Aoi…" Oodanna grunts gently.

"Oodanna, what is going on?" I ask my voice full of panic and fear.

"Please forgive me,….I can't control myself my love." He grunts, trying to fight the effects of the tea.

I can feel myself slipping in and out of consciousness. I need to break him out of this trance before something bad happens.

I look up at him he has me on my back again, pounding me over and over again. I feel myself cum once more. Just then I see a faint glimmer in his eyes, _theres the real Oodanna_. I reach up to his face, and brush the hair from his eyes, he firmly grabs my wrist and slams it down on the floor above my head. I try again with the other one, he starts to go for my wrist and then something catches his eye, I follow his gaze and see that he has noticed my ring. His thrusts have slowed and softened.

"Oodanna please come back to me my love" I whisper, tears welling behind my eyes. My had reaches his face and I cradle his face in my hand, its warm. He closes his eyes, inhales, and then the thrusts start to increase slowly in speed and intensity.

"Aoi…keep trying…" he says through gritted teeth.

I am then suddenly on top of him, he's letting me be in charge. His hands grasp my hips again, and I can feel the wounds re open from earlier, I grimace in pain as I keep a steady pace. I lean over him to keep my balance, my face inches from his. His eyes are closed still, his mouth pursed tightly. I lean into him and kiss him gently.

"Husband, please come back to me, your Ogre Bride, your wife" I cry out.

Then I see it his Ogre flame is around us, protecting us from something unknown. I feel him relax underneath me. Suddenly his arms wrap around me embracing me as he thrusts gently, lovingly into me.

His eyes burst open, and he leans up to kiss me deeply, his tongue dancing with mine. He gently grasps my face between his hands. "Aoi, my love, MY Wife" he whispers. Our paces sync up, I can feel his penis throb desperately needing release. "Aoi…" he breathes into my ear. I can feel myself about to cum.

"Please, cum with me Husband" I moan out.

He grasps me, and I feel the familiar warmth filling my womb. But there was something else that I felt, it was a little warmer, and it radiated throughout my body. Oodanna wraps his arms around me as we lay on the tatami panting. He nuzzles his face into my neck and squeezes tighter.

"Im sorry, I will never let that happen again my wife. Never" he sternly promises me.

I cuddle into him and close my eyes, feeling safe and warm next to my husband, "We made it through this we can make it through anything my love" I whisper. I drift off into a comatose like state of bliss and exhaustion.

I wake up in a haze, _was it all just a dream?_ I look around at my surroundings and see Oodanna sitting next to the futon, his back turned away from me. We are back home in our place on the mountain. He is wearing his white garments that are usually covered by his black and gold kimono jacket.

"Oodanna…what…how…" I trail off, my head is spinning.

He jumps at the sound of my voice and looks at me his eyes full of relief.

"Aoi my love, are you really awake?" He says softly as he runs his fingers through my hair.

I nod, looking into his beautiful crimson eyes. "I'm a bit disoriented but I think I will be ok" I say weakly as I sit up.

"You were out for a few days my love. After…" He trails off not wanting to recall the ceremony. "The council came back hours later to see what had become of us, they were highly disappointed that we both survived." He sighed. "They let us go, wished us luck and they said they were shocked at how strong you were. Many humans die preforming that ceremony with Ogres….they wanted to know how you brought me to my senses in a matter of hours."

I looked at him, and then down at my hands. "I'm not sure, all I know is that all I wanted my husband back." My voice almost a whisper. I felt a single tear slide down my face, Oodanna swiftly wiped it away. He gently grasped my chin between his fingers, our eyes locked.

"You were so strong my love, and I am grateful you brought me back to my senses." His eyes softened as he spoke.

I was relived to be home, I leaned into Oodanna and inhaled deeply. He smelled wonderful. He wrapped his arms around me and placed his chin on top of my head. We stayed like that for a moment.

"Oh interesting" Oodanna murmured.

"Hmmm" I murmured, keeping my eyes closed, and enjoying our embrace.

"Are you wearing your pendant my love?" He asked

I look down at my chest and see that it is missing. "No, where did it go?"

"I must have left it in the bathroom after cleaning you up last night. But this is still intriguing." He says trailing off.

"What do you find so interesting?" I ask bewildered.

"Look" He says as he lifts up my hand. I look at it and see Ogre fire licking my finger tips.

"Ah!" I gasp, I look at Oodanna panicked by what I see. His eyes are calm and intrigued.

"Aoi, are you in any pain?" He asks

I shake my head, "No just a bit sore."

"Hmmm, we should get you something to eat." He says as he looks around. "Ah I found it!" He exclaims as he waves the message board around. He writes on it for a minute and then puts it down. "What would you like to eat my love?"

I feel my stomach growl, "Egg omelet with some squid sausage and rice would be nice"

He picks up the board and writes again, a smirk crosses his face. I can only imagine whomever he was talking to made him laugh at something.

"Who are you talking to?" I ask

"Ginji of course, my trusted Advisor." Oodanna beams proudly. "He is taking care of Tenjin-Ya while I am here with you. One of our guests was so happy to hear that you were awake they bought everyone a meal from Moonflower to celebrate."

"Isn't he in charge of Moonflower while I'm away?" I ask

"Yes he is there mainly, but if there is a problem that needs handled or a customer that needs special treatment he knows how to handle said situation in my place." He says while writing on the board.

"But you don't need to stay here and watch over me, I'm capable of taking care of myself." I pipe up.

"Yes you could now that you are awake, but I wanted to see you when you woke up. So I stayed behind. I guess I needed to make sure you were ok." He paused, "I needed to see if you would wake up…" his voice trailed off briefly

We sit there silent looking outside at the rain cascading off the leaves and onto the ground.

I look at my hands again, and see the Ogre flame has gone away. I shake my head I must of been imagining things. _You're delusional from the ceremony_ I told myself.

After a while Kasuga shows up with a large tray of food. She places it down in front of me and Oodanna and removes the tray cover the reveal the food. The plates are steaming hot, and smell amazing. Kasuga smiles at us and ducks away to return to the Inn. One plate has my omelette, rice and sausages, another has rice, miso soup, pickled vegetables, and pork in some kind of sauce. There are two cups of warm green tea, and two more cups with water.

"Mmmmh this looks so good" I say happily.

Oodanna smiles warmly at me and reaches for his tea.

"I have some work that needs my attention at the Inn, but I can do it from here if need be" He says casually while sipping his tea.

I shake my head, "No you will leave and go tend to the Inn, you are the Inn keeper and because of what happened is no excuse to fall behind on your duties." I say sternly.

He smirks, _Oh how I love that smirk._ I say to myself not paying attention to what he was saying and just nodding in agreement.

His hand waves in front of my face trying to grab my attention. His eyes look concerned.

"You are more than welcome to come along my Bride" He says warmly.

"No, I'm in no shape to be going to the inn, I'm bandaged up and would be a bother" I mumble while eating my meal.

Oodanna places his hands on my shoulders, and pulls me close to him, my head nestled under his chin. "You are never a bother my love"

The message board alerts us to an incoming message. Oodanna glances towards its direction and reluctantly stands up to grab it. It chimes a few more times. I keep eating, and think about what I could do. _Maybe I'll cook something today_ I think to myself. I look up at Oodanna who hasn't moved since grabbing the board; he is standing with his back to me, his body is tense.

"Aoi, please accompany me to the Inn, I promise you will be no trouble. If you would like we can have a screen up next to me where you can sit so you may feel more at ease." He is still faced away from me, his hand is flitting writing on the board.

I sigh, _maybe I can go to the market after_ I tell myself. "Ok, let me get dressed." _I wonder what is going on, he would usually just go on his own._

This chapter is long but I feel I owe it to you all. Sorry for the wait, There is more, this was the best stopping point to give you guys more to read.


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